Record heat, but not hottest day of the year

A firefighter carries a saw from the scene of a fire in Wrigleyville was worked by about 100 firefighters due to the heat.

A firefighter carries a saw from the scene of a fire in Wrigleyville was worked by about 100 firefighters due to the heat. (Nancy Stone, Chicago Tribune)

Meredith RodriguezTribune reporter

With fall less than two weeks away, a late blast of summer today prompted some schools to close and more to end classes early.

The high of 95 degrees, hit at 2:20 p.m., matched the record for the date set in 1983. The normal high for Sept. 10 is 78 degrees, according to Charles Mott, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

"We are a bit out of whack," Mott said. "Anytime you tie or break a record, that's an unusual event."

"In Chicago there have also only been 5 days in recorded weather history that have been hotter than today this late or later in the year," according to a National Weather Service statement.

If the temperature had reached 97 degrees, Tuesday would have been the hottest day of the summer, according to WGN-TV meteorologist Tom Skilling.

At least 16 schools in the Chicago area closed Tuesday because of the smothering heat and more than 40 others held only a half day of classes.

Crete-Monee School District 201 in the south suburbs decided to close all of its schools rather than release its roughly 5,000 students early.

Seven of the district's 10 schools are not air conditioned, said Superintendent John Rodgers, and standard hot day procedures such as drawing shades, switching off lights, using electric fans and distributing cold bottles of water were deemed insufficient to head off possible heatstroke, nausea and discomfort.

"Some of (the schools) are built back in the 1950s, so they are made out of thick masonry concrete and tend to hold heat longer than some of the newer buildings," Rodgers said.

He said the final decision was made last night, when some empty classrooms with fans running recorded temperatures at 88 degrees. This is the first time in Rodgers' six years as superintendent that the district has closed schools for a day because of heat.

"It's a judgment call, but it's a judgment call erring on the side of caution," he said.

St. Francis de Sales High School in Chicago opted for an early dismissal at 12:40 p.m. instead of the usual 2:25 p.m. The heat interrupted the first Mass of the school year and was expected to lead to cancellation of after-school activities. Like most schools in the area that opted to close early, St. Francis de Sales has the combination of an old building and no central air conditioning.

"We don't want to be in a position of putting any kids in any kind of physical jeopardy," President Ray Nedohon said.

This is the school's second early dismissal this school year. The first was last Wednesday. Heat days are not normally an issue for the school, Nedohon said, but September is known for being an unpredictable month.

"You know, it's just like Chicago weather," he said. "The weather can be very ephemeral and unpredictable — just like you can get snow in late spring."

After the warm-up, temperatures are expected to fall. The National Weather Service predicts highs will be in the upper 80s on Wednesday, the upper 70s on Thursday and the upper 60s on Friday.

"It's going to be a slow fall," Mott said. "(Wednesday) is another warm day."

Despite a 30 percent chance of showers after 1 p.m., Wednesday's high of 89 is not expected to drop until late in the evening. The forecast for midnight is 77 degrees and the low is expected to be 69.

Cooler winds from the northwest will make Thursday more comfortable with the weather service predicting a high near 77 degrees and gusts up to 20 mph.

Temperatures through the rest of fall are expected to remain warmer than normal, Mott said.